Opportunities and challenges in achieving comanagement in marine protected areas in East Africa: a comparative case study

Abstract

As marine ecosystems decline globally, scientists recommend increasing the coverage of marine protected areas (MPAs), but many are not effectively managed to deliver benefits. Community integration into decision-making can increase effectiveness by supporting behavior change, but this poses implementation challenges. We examine differences in adaptive capacity, community engagement, and perceived MPA benefits using interviews and focal groups in two fishing communities from MPAs with different management strategies and geographic settings: a centrally managed MPA in Kenya and a co-managed MPA in Tanzania. Far fewer Kenyan community members (37%) felt they benefited from the MPA compared to Tanzanian community (95%). Agency, trust, and MPA support were largely similar. Both systems had challenges that reduced collaborative action including: low staff-community interaction and communication, leadership challenges, and social conflict. We identified pathways towards improved co-management that transcend systems: institutional prioritization of community integration, investment in community leadership, mapping social networks, and adequate MPA budgets.